Climbin' in Our Windows, Snatchin' Our I.D.s Up

Adobe's Response, "Hide Yo Kids, Hide Yo Wife...Oh, and Change Your Password."

I received a rather alarming email from Adobe on October 4th. It was a statement detailing an attack on Adobe's network. It seems somebody was able to hack into their system, however it doesn't seem as though it was anything major.

The email stated, "We recently discovered that attackers illegally entered our network. The attackers may have obtained access to your Adobe ID and encrypted password. We currently have no indication that there has been unauthorized activity on your account. If you have placed an order with us, information such as your name, encrypted payment card number, and card expiration date also may have been accessed. We do not believe any decrypted card numbers were removed from our systems."

Well, that's not good. However, the email went on to explain, "To prevent unauthorized access to your account, we have reset your password."

"We recommend that you also change your password on any website where you use the same user ID or password. As always, please be cautious when responding to any email seeking your personal information."

Well, at least it doesn't seem too bad. The personal information stolen was still encrypted, meaning that there is a very small chance that anyone will become a victim of identity theft. Or, at least that's what Adobe is trying to assure. At this point in time, there is "no increased risk to customers as a result of this incident." Whew.

Still, this has me on the edge of my seat. How could such a large and innovative company like Adobe be hacked so easily? And does that mean that larger potential threats could be imminent? Considering that this probably put Adobe on high alert, I would assume not. But sooner or later, they could possibly let their guard down again. Unfortunately, that's just the nature of any business housing millions of private accounts on file. As Jim Gordon, portrayed by Gary Oldman, once said, "We start carrying semi-automatics, they buy automatics. We start wearing Kevlar, they buy armor piercing rounds." The only way to get the upper-hand is to stay on your toes.

Users of Adobe products (or any online resources, for that matter) should definitely change their passwords every so often (6 months to a year), and be smart about who they share their information with. I might be telling you what you already know, but it's important to remind yourself of the ways to stay safe in the digital frontier, especially after what just happened with Adobe.